Clean the teeth
If you are wearing false teeth, do not neglect the hygiene of the false teeth because
dental plaque also forms on them.
Cleaning a removable denture
Dental plaque forms on the surface of a denture. In
order to maintain the hygiene of the mouth and denture, the denture should be taken
out for cleaning every night.
Denture cleaning
• First, fill the washing basin with some water (to prevent accidental drop
and fracture of the denture). Apply some detergent onto the toothbrush. Then clean
every surface of the denture.
• Before bedtime, immerse the cleaned denture into a cup of water overnight.
Consequences of poor denture hygiene
Wearing an unclean denture for a long period of time may lead to inflammation of
the soft tissue under the denture with redness, swelling, pain, ulceration etc.
This condition is called "Denture induced Stomatitis".
Points to note
• Avoid using toothpaste to clean the denture. The coarse particles in the
toothpaste may scratch the surfaces of denture and enhance plaque accumulation.
• The unworn removable denture should be immersed in a cup of plain water to
avoid warping of the denture.
• If the denture is accidentally dropped and broken, you should pick up all
broken parts and take them to the dentist for assistance.
Cleaning a fixed bridge
As dental plaque also accumulates on the surface under
the bridge, people wearing bridges should use superfloss
to clean the area daily.
Dental plaque accumulates underneath the bridge
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Superfloss
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Fixed bridge cleaning
• Firstly, insert the stiffened end into the area beneath the bridge.
• The unworn removable denture should be immersed in a cup of plain water to
avoid warping of the denture.
• Finally, slowly pull it out from the space between the gum and the bridge.
• The regular floss is used to remove the plaque from the adjacent tooth surfaces
for the rest of the teeth.
Consequences of unclean bridge
Poor bridge hygiene may affect the health of the adjacent teeth, resulting in Dental
Caries and Periodontal Disease.